Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves Prediction 8-8-23 MLB Picks

The Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates meet in game two of their four-game MLB set from PNC Park on Tuesday. The Pirates surprised in game one, will lightning strike twice? Or will the Braves exact revenge? Let’s dive in and find out.

Braves Rally Falls Short

The Atlanta Braves dug themselves into an early hole on Monday in the series opener but couldn’t climb out, falling to the Pirates by a final count of 7-6. The loss dropped the Braves to 70-39 on the year, but they still sit 10 games clear atop the NL East division mountain. Ronald Acuna Jr. leads the Braves with 149 hits and a .339 batting average along with 53 stolen bases to lead MLB in that category. Acuna Jr. also has 25 homers and 67 RBIs while Matt Olson leads the Braves with 39 home runs and 99 RBIs this season. Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna and Austin Riley make up the other three Braves bats with 20+ HR so far this season. Yonny Chirinos will start for the Braves here and is 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA and 39 strikeouts this season.

Atlanta Braves Team Facts

• The Braves have won each of their last 11 Tuesday road games against National League opponents.
• The Braves have failed to cover the run line in each of their last four road games after playing the previous day.
• The Braves have trailed after 7 innings in six of their last seven games as road favourites.
• The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Braves' last four games at PNC Park.
• The Braves have trailed after 5 innings in four of their last five games as road favourites against National League opponents.

Atlanta Braves Player Prop Facts

• Ronald Acuna Jr. ranks 1st in the league in Steals (53) this season.

Pirates Continue To Surprise

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been pulling out some surprises as of late, winning series against teams like the Padres and Phillies, and then pulling off Monday’s upset win. The win brought the Pirates up to 51-61 on the year, sitting 7.5 games back of the final Wild Card Spot in the National League. Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 100 hits while Jack Suwinski has a team-high 21 home runs and 53 RBIs this season. Reynolds also has a team-best .265 batting average and Andrew McCutchen has a team-best .380 OBP this season. Mitch Keller will start for the Pirates here and is 9-8 with a 4.35 ERA and 150 strikeouts this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Team Facts

• The Pirates have won four of their last five games as home underdogs after playing the previous day.
• The Pirates have covered the run line in eight of their last nine games against National League opponents.
• The Pirates have led after 5 innings in each of their last four games as underdogs against National League opponents.
• The Pirates have led after 3 innings in three of their last four games as underdogs against National League opponents.
• The Pirates have led after 7 innings in each of their last four games as underdogs against National League opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks 28th in the league for hits this season (872).
• The Pittsburgh Pirates ranks T6th in the league for triples this season (20).
• The Atlanta Braves ranks 1st in the league for home runs this season (213).
• The Atlanta Braves ranks 1st in the league for slugging percentage this season (.498).

Chris’ Pick

I’m looking at the over here. I just don’t trust this starting pitching matchup whatsoever and I really have no clue what the Braves were thinking adding Chirinos at the trade deadline. On the other side, Mitch Keller’s really struggled in a lot of his recent outings, and I think this is just another game similar to what we saw on Monday, where the offenses come to shine and the game soars into double-digits.